Method and system for generating emergency notifications based on aggregate event data

ABSTRACT

An approach for enabling event notifications to be directed to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of common event data by one or more wireless devices is described. A multimedia event processor receives event data corresponding to an event from a mobile device. The event data is associated with a tag for describing the event data and classified as corresponding to a level of severity based on the tag. A target destination is then determined for transmission of a notification message, the event data, or a combination thereof.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Modern telecommunications services, particularly wireless mobilecommunication devices, have proved to be effective public safety tools.For instance, during emergencies, these devices (e.g., smartphones) areindispensable for contacting the appropriate people or authorities. Inaddition, such devices can be useful for acquiring audio, video or othermultimedia or textual data related to the emergency event by way ofintegrated capture tools such as cameras, video and audio recorders,keyboards, etc. By way of example, when a vehicle accident occurs at abusy thoroughfare, some device users at or near the scene of theaccident may capture a video of the accident using a video recorder attheir device. Others at or near the scene may snap pictures using anintegrated camera or post messages regarding the event to a socialnetworking site. Unfortunately, such data remains isolated to the users.

Based on the foregoing, there is a need for enabling event notificationsto be directed to one or more emergency contacts based on the acquiringof common event data by one or more wireless devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and notby way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for enabling event notifications to bedirected to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of common eventdata by one or more wireless devices, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a multimedia event processor, according to oneembodiment;

FIGS. 3A-3C are flowcharts of processes for enabling event notificationsto be directed to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of commonevent data by one or more wireless devices, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a user interface for configuring a policy formanaging the sharing and aggregating of event data by a wireless device,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a diagram depicting an interaction between a multimedia eventprocessor and one or more user devices, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5B is a diagram of a user interface for enabling user interactionwith the multimedia event processor, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a computer system that can be used to implementvarious exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a chip set that can be used to implement anembodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An apparatus, method and software for enabling event notifications to bedirected to one or more emergency contacts based on the acquiring ofcommon event data by one or more wireless devices is described. In thefollowing description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It is apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced withoutthese specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

Although the various exemplary embodiments are described with respect toemergency notifications, it is contemplated that these embodiments haveapplicability to any data protocols, methodologies or systems forgenerating alerts, alarms, emergency broadcasts, communication signalsand the like. Furthermore, while the exemplary embodiments are describedfrom the perspective of high priority events, such as those requiringsome form of emergency response, it is contemplated these embodimentshave applicability to non-emergency events as well. This includes, forexample, social events, community events, business events, specialoccasions, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for enabling event notifications to bedirected to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of common eventdata by one or more wireless devices, according to one embodiment. Forthe purposes of explanation, system 100 is shown to include one or moreuser devices 101 a-101 n (e.g., mobile device, smart phone, tablet,netbook, laptop, sensor, set-top box, or any communications enabledcomputing device), which are configured to communicate with a multimediaevent processor 103 to share event data 105 a-105 n. The multimediaevent processor 103 processes the event data 105 a-105 n to performvarious executions, including for example: (1) determining a correlationbetween the event data 105 a-105 n of the different devices 101 a-101 n;(2) associating one or more tags with the event data 105 a-105 n forrepresenting an event type to which the event data relates or adescription of one or more elements of the event data; and (3)initiating a communication with an emergency contact appointed by theuser based on the event data 105 a-105 n. The emergency contact mayinclude, for example, an emergency service responder, adesignated/trusted individual, a group or community of individuals, or acombination thereof. Also, event data may be exchanged with or posted tovarious contacts on an anonymous basis.

Event data 105 a-105 n may include, for example, any data sensed,acquired or otherwise captured by a capture tool 117 a-117 n of a givenuser device 101 a-101 n in relation to, or at a point in time of,occurrence of a given event. Capture tools 117 a-117 n available torespective user devices 101 a-101 n include, for example, integratedcamera devices, audio recorders, video recorders, GPS, accelerometers,compasses, gyros, proximity sensors, barometers, keyboards andterminals, or any other devices for activating the various sensory/inputmechanisms of the device 101 a-101 n. As a result, event data 105 a-105n is acquired or sensed as audio data, video data, GPS data, light data,motion data, image data, textual data, orientation data, barometricdata, or a combination thereof.

User devices 105 a-105 n featuring the above described capture tools 117a-117 n have become the default means of recording and capturing eventdata. Mobile devices, such as cell phones and tablet computers forexample, have become a viable alternative to standalone tape recorders,cameras and camcorders. This is attributable to the portability, networkaccess capability and ease of use of the user devices over bulky,individual equipment. At any given moment, these devices allow users toquickly record data regarding events occurring in their proximity,including emergency and non-emergency events. This data may then besubsequently shared with friends by way of e-mail, mobile application,or short simple messaging (e.g., SMS or MMS), posted to variouswebsites, uploaded to a cloud-based data stores, etc., via transmissionover a service provider network 109. This capability is especiallyuseful in supporting the capture of event data related to high prioritysituations such as accidents, crime, natural disasters, political andsocial occurrences (e.g., protests and unrest), etc.

Typically, high priority events, including those requiring the aid ofemergency responders (e.g., police, military, and fire safety) arecaptured by disparate device users from different vantage points. By wayof example, a hostage situation unfolding in a shopping mall may becaptured on video by multiple different users dispersed throughout themall while other users positioned elsewhere, but within view snappictures as the hostage event unfolds. Each of the individual deviceusers capture information that is useful for providing details regardingthe occurrence. Unfortunately, there is currently no coordinated systemfor enabling coordinated aggregation of data as captured by disparateusers relative to a common event. Consequently, emergency serviceproviders are limited in their ability to be promptly notified of suchevents as they occur in real-time.

To address this issue, system 100 presents a multimedia event processor103 that is configured to determine a correlation between captured eventdata and subsequently initiate a communication with one or more contactsbased on the determined event type. The contacts may include one or moremembers of a community, wherein the communication is directed to thevarious contacts en mass. Furthermore, there is currently no means ofautomatically notifying emergency responders, such as police, or othercontacts based on the aggregation of common event data. Alternatively,the multimedia event processor 103 may be directed to generate targetedcommunications to select one or more contacts related to a particulardevice user. In certain embodiments, the communication may beestablished over a network, such as service provider network 109 for thepurpose of transmitting a notification message, placing of a phone orvideo call, exchanging event data, or a combination thereof. By way ofexample, the notification message may include details regarding theevent, the event data, location information pertaining to the event, arequest for action by the contact, a distress signal, or a combinationthereof. Still further, the notification message may be in the form ofan alarm signal, textual message, graphic, video, vibration signal, orthe like.

Event types may include, for example, any information, descriptor,symbol or other data for representing the category, name, scheme ordescription to which the event pertains. In certain embodiments, theevent type is determined by the multimedia event processor 103 based onthe application of one or more data recognition techniques as performedin connection with one or more analytic processing models. Thus, asevent data 105 a-105 n is retrieved from user devices 101 a-101 n inaudio, video, textual, numeric, or graphic form, the multimedia eventprocessor is configured to perform audio, video, textual, numeric, orimage recognition processing respectively on the event data. One of morepattern detection, heuristic analysis, inference or deductiveprocessing, object matching, ontological schemes, and other analysismodels are employed for directing the audio, video, image, numeric, ortext recognition process; the recognition being performed to render adetermination as to a predetermined type to which the event data may beassociated. It is noted that the predetermined types are extensible suchthat processor 103 “learns” new patterns that can be classified andappear as a new type; for example, a group of people witnessing andcapturing data (such gathering may be classified, e.g., as a coup, ariot, a demonstration, etc.). Also, the“volume” of event data submittedmay trigger the event processor 103 to determine whether the event issignificant. However, an event, such as a car crash, is significant in adifferent way from a movement, yet both are likely to be captured andpossibly treated differently by the processor 103.

By way of example, in the aforementioned hostage event scenario, imagedata representative of a gun may be submitted by way of a first userdevice 101 a that is equipped with a camera (e.g., capture tool 117 a).The image data is queued, or flagged as requiring processing by themultimedia event processor on the basis of an event trigger 119 a. Theevent trigger is a software and/or hardware based button, switch,gesture, mobile application determined (e.g., sudden unusual movementdetected by accelerometer, indication signaled by a nearby mobiledevice) or other command for alerting the multimedia event processor 103of incoming event data from the user device 101 a. Once transmitted, theimage data is then processed by the multimedia event processor 103 basedon one or more pattern/object recognition techniques such that an objectwithin the image corresponding to a type or category of “GUN” isidentified. Furthermore, audio signal data relating to the same eventmay be analyzed and compared against known sound data for determiningthat a given subset of the data corresponds to a gunshot. Again, in thisinstance, the audio signal may therefore also be labeled with respect tothe type or category of “GUN” accordingly. It is noted, therefore, thatthe various event types may include, for example, a determined broadcategory or descriptor of an event or object related thereto, asub-category of an event or object related thereto, a specific objecttype, a reference name or identifier, a full description or definition,and any other tag for characterizing the event data and/or the eventrelated thereto. Event type data is therefore associated with the eventdata 105 a-105 n as one or more tags and is stored as tagged event data107 a by the multimedia event processor 103. In one embodiment, eventtagging can happen at multiple levels: by device, at event processor 103when received, at processor 103 as additional events and context arereceived (either by other mobiles of from external sources like RSSfeeds, Internet breaking news, etc.). It is contemplated that events canbe tagged by the multimedia event processor 103 and/or the capturefunction on the mobile device 101 a. A hierarchical relationship can bedefined such that the capture function of the device 101 a “tags” basedon what the device 101 a knows, while the multimedia event processor“tags” based on its collection of algorithms; and then as correlationand aggregation takes place, yet another opportunity to “tag” the eventscan occur because now the system is starting to understand and learnwhat is occurring.

To enable the appropriate storing of tagged event data 107 a, themultimedia event processor is also configured to determine a correlationbetween the various event data 105 a-105 n as received from the userdevices 101 a-101 n. This correlation process is performed, at least inpart, on the basis of a match being identified between one or more tagsassociated with the event data 105 a-105 n, a match being identifiedbetween relative context information associated with the event data 105a-105 n, or a combination thereof. User device 101 may automatically tagevent data (e.g., include GPS coordinates and/or facial recognitionindicators with image data, include voice recognition and/or voicebiometric indicators with audio data, etc.). In certain embodiments, thetags may also include or be associated with context informationpertaining to the event data 105 a-105 n. By referencing the contextinformation, the event data 105 a-105 n as received by the multimediaevent processor in various forms (e.g., audio, video, textual) fromdisparate data sources (e.g., user devices 101 a-101 n), may becatalogued/stored in common.

By way of example, in the above described hostage scenario, contextinformation pertaining to the image data and audio data tagged as “GUN”is further evaluated by the multimedia event processor 103 to determineif a correlation exists between the commonly tagged data. Thisevaluation may include, for example, a comparison of location data,position data, motion data, activity data, time data, environmentaldata, and other types of context information. In the case of the hostagescenario, this would include determining respective event data hascommon time and date information, a shared location corresponding to theshopping mall, etc. When a match is determined to exist between thecontext information of the different but commonly tagged event data 107a—i.e., to within a predetermined threshold—the event data is deemed tocorrelate. Alternatively, when context information for different eventdata is not determined to be within the predetermined threshold, theevent data is deemed to not correlate. By determining correlation, themultimedia event processor is able to store common/related event data inreference to one another, while event data 105 determined not tocorrelate is stored without reference to any other event data. In thelatter case, this corresponds to the cataloguing of original event data,of an unknown type or that has no composite match with other event datato within the predetermined threshold. As will be discussed more fullylater, the process of correlating the event data 105 a-105 n enables themultimedia event processor 103 to maintain distinct records of eventsfor archiving, knowledge base development, reporting and event modelingpurposes. In addition, event data 105 a-105 n that is commonly taggedbut related to distinctly different events is appropriately stored.

Context information may include, for example, any data for representinga location, position, orientation, date/time, means of execution,associated activity, modality, state, etc., of an event, the event data105 a-105 n, the one or more user devices 101 a-101 n, a user of therespective user devices 101 a-101 n, or a combination thereof. Incertain embodiments, context information ‘feeds’ may also be flowing into the multimedia event processor 103 from various sources to help inestablishing contexts within which to evaluate and tag events. Forexample knowledge that sports events are taking place in a particulargeographical region is valuable, but other events (e.g., politicalevents, scheduled events of any kind and the like) are also useful baselevel information that are accessible for event recognition andcorrelation. Also, RSS feeds and the like can be utilized by the eventprocessor 103.

The multimedia event processor 103 is configured to analyze the contextinformation relative to a given set of event data as a means of furthercharacterizing an event. It is noted, therefore, that the contextinformation may be employed in generating the one or more tags to beassociated with a given event. In certain embodiments, contextinformation is generated or determined by a context module 118 a-118 noperable at the user devices 101 a-101 n. The context module 118 a-118 ncontrols the execution of various sensors of the device for acquiringcontext information, including global positioning sensors, networkdetection sensors, gyroscopes, motion detectors, time sensors, and otherdata acquisition devices. By way of these sensors, the context module118 a-118 n detects location information (e.g., longitude and latitude,geospatial coordinates, building coordinate data), device and/or userposition and/or orientation information, time zone, time and dateinformation, network connectivity information (e.g., IP Address, networkconnection status, location area identity), user and/or device profileinformation (e.g., service-subscriber key, user identifier, serialnumber), or a combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally,context information may be determined and/or supplemented by informationavailable from service provider network (e.g., cell sector) and/or fromthe Internet (e.g., social network information).

In certain embodiments, the multimedia event processor 103 is configuredto determine a level of severity of the event data. For example, in theabove described hostage scenario, heuristic data analysis and otherprocessing of the image of the gun may be performed. Under thisscenario, when it is determined the images contain what appears to be agun, a level of severity of ‘High Priority’ is assigned to thisparticular event data and other related event data. As another example,when the image is determined to contain image data representative offire, smoke, explosions, etc., this also indicates a severity of ‘HighPriority.’ In the case of the sound data, a determination that the sounddata is an explosion, gunshot, cry for help, etc., is also deemed of‘High Priority’ severity. Low priority severity may be assigned orcorrelated with event data deemed to be insignificant in scope,inconsequential relative to the event data/context information,undeterminable, etc. The level of severity may be determined andassigned to the event data 105 or tagged event data 107 in connectionwith the event data tagging process or as a further aspect of thecorrelation process.

As noted earlier, level of severity or interest in a given event mayalso relate to the “volume” of data for a given geographic region for agiven time range (e.g., increased volume of video or photos showing uparound the time of an earthquake, or a major gathering either for asports related event such as a championship celebration or a gatheringrelated to a political uprising, etc.). In one embodiment, thresholdsmay be established and/or learned over time to establish severity or“pay attention” criteria for a given series of events. For example, agun or a fire in a video or a photo may always be high priority anddeserve attention, whereas “n” photos (e.g., 10, 50, 100, 500) or videosemanating from a geographic region are likely to be of great interest.

It is noted, therefore, that the level of severity corresponds to a typeof response action to be initiated or performed by the multimedia eventprocessor 103 relative to the event type. The response actions enabledby the multimedia event processor 103 as it engages a user device on thebasis of event data 105 or tagged event data 107 may be classified undervarious categories. These response actions are described, by way ofexample, with respect to TABLE 1 below:

TABLE 1 Response Action Description Intelligent Control Permits themultimedia event processor 103 and/or a remote computing device to seizecontrol of the user device 101 that activated the event trigger 119.Intelligent control may be performed, for example, by an emergencyresponder (e.g., emergency 911 operator) in cases where the device useris incapacitated, unable to respond, or fails to response. By way ofexample, the control may enable remote activation and control of variousdevice sensors and/or capture tools (e.g., camera), etc. As anotherexample, a keep-alive and dead-man switch may be activated on the basisof a user response failure or determined environmental context of theuser (e.g., a college student walking to their dorm late at night).Intelligent Notification Permits the multimedia event processor 103 togenerate notification messages, including text messages, alert signals,e-mail communications, phone calls, video calls, and other message typesbased on a determined level of severity of the event. The messages maybe tailored to the specific contact to be notified (e.g., Police,ambulatory service provider, spouse). Notifications may also includesignals for generating a triggering message-i.e., triggering an alarm atthe device 101, the triggering of an external alarm (e.g., a car horn),the activation of a device tracking signal for notifying a contact ofthe location of the device 101, etc. Intelligent Event Routing Permitsthe multimedia event processor 103 to route and direct notificationmessages to one or more user designated contacts based on the level ofseverity (e.g., High Priority, Low Priority, etc.) as assigned to a setof commonly tagged event data 107a. Routing is performed based on eventor recipient context, policy preferences, notification subscriptionswith the multimedia event processor 103, etc. Intelligent event routingalso includes the directing of event data, i.e., tagged event data 107a,for storage to a knowledge base.

The user of a device 101 a-101 n, which is configured to interact withthe processor 103, may establish one or more policies for affectingperformance of the above mentioned response actions. This may includethe establishment of policies for affecting the routing and/or sharingof messages based on event classification/type and context, the type andcapabilities of the target notification device(s), user devicecapabilities, network intelligence and capacity, etc. The policy alsoenforces security and privacy settings as well, including user selectionof which personal or private information to share with a contact (e.g.,the police), event data storage and history settings and knowledge baserecording settings. The multimedia event processor 103 may be configuredto perform various anonymization techniques for processing the eventdata based on the policies.

It is noted that user devices 101 a-101 n may be any type of mobileterminal, fixed terminal, or portable terminal including a mobilehandset, station, unit, device, multimedia computer, multimedia tablet,Internet node, communicator, desktop computer, laptop computer, PersonalDigital Assistants (PDAs), smartphone, wearable computer, sensor, or anycombination thereof. It is also contemplated that the devices 101 a-101n can support any type of interface for supporting the presentment orexchanging of data. In addition, user devices 101 a-101 n may facilitatevarious input means for receiving and generating information, includingtouch screen capability, keyboard and keypad data entry, cameras,voice-based input mechanisms and the like. Other implementations of userdevices 101 are applicable.

In certain embodiments, user devices 101 a-101 n, the multimedia eventprocessor 103, and other elements of system 100 may be configured tocommunicate via a service provider network 109. According to certainembodiments, one or more networks, such as data network 111, telephonynetwork 113, and/or wireless network 115, can interact with the serviceprovider network 109. Networks 109-115 may be any suitable wirelineand/or wireless network, and be managed by one or more serviceproviders. For example, telephony network 113 may include acircuit-switched network, such as the public switched telephone network(PSTN), an integrated services digital network (ISDN), a private branchexchange (PBX), or other like network. Wireless network 115 may employvarious technologies including, for example, code division multipleaccess (CDMA), long term evolution (LTE), enhanced data rates for globalevolution (EDGE), general packet radio service (GPRS), mobile ad hocnetwork (MANET), global system for mobile communications (GSM), Internetprotocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), universal mobile telecommunicationssystem (UMTS), etc., as well as any other suitable wireless medium,e.g., microwave access (WiMAX), wireless fidelity (WiFi), satellite, andthe like. Meanwhile, data network 111 may be any local area network(LAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), theInternet, or any other suitable packet-switched network, such as acommercially owned, proprietary packet-switched network, such as aproprietary cable or fiber-optic network.

Although depicted as separate entities, networks 109-115 may becompletely or partially contained within one another, or may embody oneor more of the aforementioned infrastructures. For instance, serviceprovider network 109 may embody circuit-switched and/or packet-switchednetworks that include facilities to provide for transport ofcircuit-switched and/or packet-based communications. It is furthercontemplated that networks 109-115 may include components and facilitiesto provide for signaling and/or bearer communications between thevarious components or facilities of system 100. In this manner, networks109-115 may embody or include portions of a signaling system 7 (SS7)network, Internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), or other suitableinfrastructure to support control and signaling functions.

According to exemplary embodiments, end user devices (not shown) may beutilized to communicate over system 100 and may include any customerpremise equipment (CPE) capable of sending and/or receiving informationover one or more of networks 109-115. For instance, voice terminal maybe any suitable plain old telephone service (POTS) device, facsimilemachine, etc., whereas mobile device (or terminal) may be any cellularphone, radiophone, satellite phone, smart phone, wireless phone, or anyother suitable mobile device, such as a personal digital assistant(PDA), pocket personal computer, tablet, customized hardware, etc.Additionally, CPE may include environmental sensors and/or capturedevices (e.g., video surveillance cameras at the mall in the previousexample) that can provide additional data for use by multimedia eventprocessor 103. Further, computing device may be any suitable computingdevice, such as a VoIP phone, skinny client control protocol (SCCP)phone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, IP phone, personalcomputer, softphone, workstation, terminal, server, etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a multimedia event processor, according to oneembodiment. The multimedia event processor 103 includes variousexecutable modules for performing one or more computing, data processingand network based instructions that in combination provide a means forenabling event notifications (e.g., regarding pertinent communityevents) to be directed to one or more emergency contacts orcommunity/group members based on the acquiring of common event data byone or more wireless or wired devices. Such modules can be implementedin hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. By way ofexample, the multimedia event processor 103 may include anauthentication module 201, tag assignment module 203, data analysismodule 205, classification module 207, reporting module 209, routingmodule 211, aggregation module 213, policy management module 215,controller 217, communication interface module 219 and user interfacemodule 221.

In addition, the multimedia event processor 103 also accesses taggedevent data from a database 107 a for maintaining event data alreadytagged subject to analysis. A context database 107 c is also maintainedfor storing context information as provided by the various user devices101 a-101 n in communication with the multimedia event processor 103.Also, a resolution database 107 b is also maintained for storing logsregarding the response actions taken by one or more contacts in responseto a given notification. Still further, a profile database 107 d ismaintained for storing one or more user profile settings, privacysettings, subscription information, event management settings, privacyand data sharing policies and other data for regulating execution of themultimedia event processor 103 relative to a given user and/or device.It is noted that data from databases 107 a-107 d may be furthermaintained or archived as part of a collective knowledge base. Incertain embodiments, the knowledge base may be analyzed for refining oneor more models to be used for evaluating and responding toemergency/high priority events.

In one embodiment, an authentication module 201 authenticates users anduser devices 101 a-101 n for interaction with the multimedia eventprocessor 103. By way of example, the authentication module 201 receivesa request to subscribe to the multimedia event processor, such asaccording to a service agreement, for enabling automated eventnotifications to be generated based on event data. The subscriptionprocess may include the establishment of user preferred preferences,including designated emergency contacts (e.g., emergency responders,individuals and communities/groups), mode of event notification (e.g.,SMS, MMS, Push Notification, phone call, video call), personalinformation sharing policies, etc. In the latter example, this enablesthe user to maintain a level of anonymity and privacy when they shareevent data with authorities, emergency responders, community members orother contacts. The user preferences may also include various eventnotification settings, including alarm intensity, auto dial parameters,workflow management settings, etc.

The authentication process performed by the module 201 may also includereceiving and validating a login name and/or user identification valueas provided or established for a particular user during a subscriptionor registration process with the service provider. The login name and/oruser identification value may be received as input provided by the userfrom the user device 101 or other device via a graphical user interfaceto the multimedia event processor 103 (e.g., as enabled by userinterface module 221). Registration data 217 for respective subscribers,which contains pertinent user or device profile data, may be crossreferenced as part of the login process. Alternatively, the loginprocess may be performed through automated association of profilesettings maintained as registration or profile data 107 d with an IPaddress, a carrier detection signal of a user device, mobile directorynumber (MDN), subscriber identity module (SIM) (e.g., of a SIM card),near field communication (NFC) identifier, radio frequency identifier(RFID) tag or other identifier.

It is noted that the authentication module 201 is configured to operatein conjunction with a policy management module 215. The policymanagement module 215 is configured to render a policy configurationinterface for supporting user adaptation of their various privacy, datasharing and event management settings. Users may also select to opt-into receive event notifications from other users who have designated themas a contact or from the multimedia event processor 103 when events theuser may be interested in (e.g., emergency events in close proximity tothe user) occur. This includes, for example, a group or community basedopt-in option for enabling event notifications to be directed tomultiple users in common. Both the authentication module 201 and policymanagement module 215 are executed from the perspective of the sendersof event data as well as recipients of event notifications. As such,preferences, settings and policy information may be referenced to aspecific user, user device, or combination thereof, and maintained as inconnection with profile data 107 d.

In one embodiment, the tag assignment module 203 associates one or moretags to event data as received from one or more user devices 101 a-101n. Event data is conveyed to the tag assignment module 201 by anaggregation module 213. Once received, the tag assignment modulegenerates the tags based on an analysis of the received event data, suchas by way of one or more image, text, sound or other data recognitiontechniques performed by a data analysis module 205. Tags are generatedto represent an event type to which the event data relates or adescription of one or more elements of the event data. By way ofexample, an image depicting an erupting volcano may feature various tagsincluding, “Ash,” “Lava,” “Volcano.” Context information as provided bythe user devices 101 a-101 n, or in some instances as determined basedon historical information for a given user, may also inform thegeneration of tags. For example, in the case of the erupting volcano,additional tags may indicate the location of the occurrence, a nameassociated with the event, external or third-party news feed datarelated to the image, etc. As such, an external data feeds module (notshown) can acquire other sources of information (e.g., externalinformation feeds) to use to support the various recognition andcorrelation tasks. In essence, “knowledge-base” for the multimedia eventprocessor 103 can stem from external data feeds. The multimedia eventprocessor 103 can be creating or augmenting tags based on auxiliary datafeeds from other sources to assist with recognizing events. For example,a news feed may be confirming that a volcano did erupt at some location(e.g., latitude/longitude) and date/timestamp; and thus all data flowingfrom that location and/or at that time are candidates to be associatedwith that externally fed event).

It is noted that the data analysis module 205 operates in connectionwith the tag assignment module 203 to determine and assign tags thataccurately represent the provided data. In one embodiment, the dataanalysis module 205 employs various pattern detection, heuristicanalysis, inference or deductive processing, object matching,ontological schemes, and other analysis models for directing the audio,video, image, numeric or text recognition process. This execution isperformed in connection with one or more models 107 e, which may includefor example data, framework, schemas, mappings, characteristic sets,tables and other information for enabling the event to be recognized.The models may be based on historic data regarding an event type, and iscapable of refinement over time as additional data is aggregated by theaggregation module 213.

In one embodiment, a classification module 207 operates in connectionwith the tag assignment module 203 to classify tagged event data. By wayof example, the classification module 207 classifies the event accordingto a level of severity based on the one or more assigned tags. Theseverity level (classification) may include, for example, a HighPriority or Low Priority classification. Low priority severity may beassigned or correlated with event data deemed to be insignificant inscope, inconsequential relative to the event data/context information,undeterminable, etc. High priority severity may be assigned orcorrelated with the event data when it is deemed to convey emergencyevents or episodes.

The classification module 207 is also configured to anonymize the eventdata in accordance with one or more policies established by the user. Assuch, the anonymization process may be coordinated with theauthentication module 201. By way of example, anonymization of the eventdata includes any techniques for obscuring important attributes,functions or structures of the data. This includes, for example, detailsabout the various device users that capture event data, geographic andnetwork location information, organization, names, passwords, and otherpersonal information. In certain embodiments, the classification module207 may employ techniques such as partial hiding, random permutation,prefix-preserving permutation, hashing, etc.

In one embodiment, a reporting module 209 is configured to receive anevent trigger alert signal from the one or more user devices 101 a-101 nby way a software and/or hardware based event trigger (e.g., panicbutton). Alternatively, the event trigger may also include a signal forindicating a failure on the part of the user to respond to an emergencycontact, the multimedia event processor 103, etc. In response to thesignal, the reporting module 209 initiates the processing and analysisof event data received in connection with the sending device 101. Inaddition, the module 209 generates notification messages, including textmessages, alert signals, e-mail communications, phone calls, video callsand other message types based on a determined level of severity of theevent. The messages may be tailored to the specific contact to benotified (e.g., Police, ambulatory service provider, spouse). Signalsmay also be generated by the module 209 for triggering an alarm at thedevice 101, an external alarm (e.g., a car horn), the activation of adevice tracking signal for notifying a contact of the location of thedevice 101, etc. It is noted, by way of example that one or moreoperations of the reporting module 209 correspond to the IntelligentNotification response action of TABLE 1.

The reporting module 209 also triggers activation of a routing module211. In one embodiment, the routing module 211 permits the multimediaevent processor 103 to route and direct notification messages to one ormore user designated contacts based on the level of severity (e.g., HighPriority, Low Priority, etc.) as assigned to a set of commonly taggedevent data 107 a. Routing is performed based on event or recipientcontext information (e.g., location, activity type), policy preferences(e.g., preferred personal contact), notification subscriptions with themultimedia event processor 103, etc. The routing module 211 also directsevent data, i.e., tagged event data 107 a, for storage to a knowledgebase. It is noted, by way of example that one or more operations of therouting module 209 correspond to the Intelligent Event Routing responseaction of TABLE 1.

The reporting module 209 is also configured to receive resolution datafrom one or more contacts in response to the transmission of one or moreevent notifications. The resolution data 107 b includes any informationfor indicating a response by a designated contact to aggregated,commonly tagged event data. This includes, for example, a determinednon-response, a dispatch of an emergency responder, placement of a callto a family member, sending and/or publishing of a notification to oneor more contacts at a social network, data for indicating a responsetime, instructions provided to the user, etc. As noted, the resolutiondata 107 b, or portions thereof, may be added to a knowledge base 223for analysis by the provider of the multimedia event processor service,the user, or the various contacts for response improvement purposes,defining more accurate event models 107 e, etc.

In one embodiment, a controller 217 regulates the communicationprocesses between the various other modules for enabling automated eventnotification and response. For example, the controller module 217generates the appropriate signals to control the communication interface219 for facilitating transmission of event data, resolution data, andother information over the network, e.g., service provider network 109.Also, the controller 217 permits the multimedia event processor 103and/or a remote computing device to seize control of the user device 101that activated the event trigger. Control may be performed, for example,by an emergency responder (e.g., emergency 911 operator) in cases wherethe device user is incapacitated or unable to respond. By way ofexample, one or more operations of controller 217 correspond to theintelligent control response action of TABLE 1.

By way of example, the controller 217 also enables remote activation andcontrol of various device sensors, such as a GPS sensor, various capturetools (e.g., camera), etc. Still further, a keep-alive and dead-manswitch may be activated on the basis of a user response failure ordetermined environmental context of the user (e.g., a college studentwalking to their dorm late at night). In certain implementations, thecontroller functions as a transceiver for enabling two-way interactionbetween a designated controller and the user device relative to acommunication interface 219.

In one embodiment, a communication interface 219 enables formation of asession over a network 109 between the multimedia event processor 103and the capture tool at the user device. By way of example, thecommunication interface 219 executes various protocols and data sharingtechniques for enabling collaborative execution between a subscriber'suser device 101 a-101 n (e.g., mobile devices, laptops, smartphones,tablet computers, desktop computers) and the multimedia event processor103 over the network, e.g., service provider network 109. By way ofexample, the communication interface 219 is configured to enable eventdata and subsequent resolution result data to be delivered via public orprivate networks. It is noted that the private network offers greatersecurity and end-user identity and privacy control, while the publicnetwork can support communications with third party services, such associal networks.

In one embodiment the user interface module 221 enables presentment of agraphical user interface for presenting the service offering. By way ofexample, the user interface module 221 generates the interface inresponse to application programming interfaces (APIs) or other functioncalls corresponding to the browser application or web portal applicationof the user devices 101 a-101 n; thus enabling the display of graphicsprimitives. Of note, the browser session may support execution ofmultimedia playback in response to tagged event data.

The above presented modules and components of the multimedia eventprocessor 103 can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or acombination thereof. Though depicted as a separate entity in FIG. 1, itis contemplated that the processor 103 may be implemented for directoperation by respective UEs 101 a-101 n. By way of example, the one ormore modules 201-221 may be implemented for operation by respective userdevices as a multi-input processor 103, or combination thereof. As such,the multimedia event processor 103 may generate direct signal inputs byway of the operating system of the UE for interacting with the capturetool 117, event trigger 119 and context module 118.

FIGS. 3A-3C are flowcharts of processes for enabling event notificationsto be directed to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of commonevent data by one or more wireless devices, according to variousembodiments. In one embodiment, the multimedia event processor 103performs processes 300 and is implemented in, for instance, a chip setincluding a processor and a memory as shown in FIG. 7. In steps 301 and303, the multimedia event processor 103 receives event datacorresponding to an event from a mobile device and retrieves contextdata associated with the mobile device respectively. Alternatively,processor 103 can receive contextual data (e.g., news feeds) toestablish its own context within which to evaluate events. As notedpreviously, the context data may include location information, userprofile information, activity information, etc. In another step 305, themultimedia event processor associates the event data with a tag fordescribing the event data based on the context data. Tags are generatedby the processor 300 for association with event data (i.e., text,numeric, audio or video data) based on one or more models. Per step 307,the event data is then classified as corresponding to a level ofseverity based on the tag. The level of severity may be determined andassigned to the event data 105 in connection with the event data taggingprocess of step 305 or as a further aspect of the correlation process.Also, the level of severity may be determined based on the tag as wellas on other information within the multimedia event processor 103.

In step 309, the multimedia event processor 103 anonymizes the eventdata with respect to the mobile device and any associated user account.The anonymization may be performed in accordance with a privacy and/ordata sharing policy of the multimedia event processor. As noted, theanonymization affects the routing and/or sharing of messages based onevent classification/type and context, the type and capabilities of thetarget notification device(s), user device capabilities, networkintelligence and capacity, etc. The anonymization also restricts thesharing of personal or private information with a contact (e.g., thepolice) or a community at large. In certain embodiments, the processor103 preserves the raw data (i.e., securely maintained) and anonymizesfor distribution or reporting purposes.

Per step 311, the multimedia event processor 103 stores the anonymizedevent data among a plurality of anonymized event data. In another step313, the processor 103 determines a target destination for transmissionof a notification message and/or the event data related thereto. Thetarget destination may include, for example, a network location of acommunication system of an emergency contact. A determination is made ofwhich target destination to transmit a notification based on theclassification and/or the context data accordingly. For example, a highpriority classification may result in transmission of the event data toan emergency services provider while a low priority classification maybe directed to a personal contact (e.g., friend) or various members of acommunity.

In step 315 of process 314 (FIG. 3B), the multimedia event processor 103receives other event data corresponding to the event from another mobiledevice. This may include event data in addition to those from othermobile devices. That is, data (other than those from the other mobiledevice), e.g., RSS/news feeds, can be used in the correlation and eventdetermination step. The event data is then correlated with the otherevent data (as well as data not from the other mobile device) based onthe tag, and aggregated with the other event data to generate acomposite model of the event based on the correlation. This correspondsto steps 315 and 317 respectively. The composite model may include a setof empirical, historical and experiential data for classifying an event,circumstances related to the event, response characteristics, etc.

In step 319 of process 318 (FIG. 3C), the multimedia event processor 103transmits a notification message to an emergency services provider, aprivate emergency contact, a local government representative, a publiccontact, one or more members of a social network, a community, or acombination thereof. As noted, a target destination to which thenotification is transmitted may include an e-mail address, a universalresource identifier (URI), a communication handle, a phone number orother contact means. In another step 321, the multimedia event processor103 receives a response to the notification message from the targetdestination. The response may be provided by the emergency contact forindicating a course of action taken responsive to the event data. By wayof example, an ambulatory service provider may provide informationregarding response times, emergency actions taken, etc.

Per step 323, the multimedia event processor 103 correlates the responsewith the event data. In another step 325, the processor 103 determinesto update the context data, a classification of the event data, or acombination thereof based on the response. It is noted therefore, thatthe one or more models may be refined based on the continuous updatingof event data as well as the associated response data. This may increasethe tag generation capabilities of the processor 103 as well as increasethe response capabilities of the processor 103 in handling communityevents and emergencies.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a user interface for configuring a policy formanaging the sharing and aggregating of event data by a wireless device,according to one embodiment. For the purpose of illustration, the userinterface 401 of a device 403 is described with respect to the exemplaryexecution of the multimedia event processor of FIG. 1. By way ofexample, the multimedia event processor 103 facilitates interaction withthe user devices 101 a-101 n to enable establishment of various policyand control settings. Policy and control settings include the following:settings 401 for affecting what user information is allowed to be sharedwith contacts, settings 403 for affecting what device information isallowed to be shared with contacts, settings 405 for allowing multimediaprocessor and/or 3^(rd) party control over various capture tools of thedevice and settings 407 for enabling one or more response actions.Notably, settings 401 can include a first name field 401 a, a last namefield 401 b, and a user ID field 401 c. Regarding the settings 403relating to the device, the following fields can be specified: device ID403 a, carrier name 403 b, type 403 c, and location information 403 d.It is contemplated that user preferences/policies can be stored on thedevice, in the network, or a combination thereof.

The user information to allow settings 401 include one or morecheckboxes for selecting/deselecting the sharing of first name, lastname and user identifier information. Under the present scenario, userselection of the checkboxes corresponding to the first name and lastname enables this data to be shared with contacts, including emergencyresponders such as police and fire professionals. The device informationto allow settings 403 include checkboxes for selecting/deselecting thesharing of a device identifier, carrier name, device type and locationinformation for the device. Under the present scenario, user selectionof the checkboxes corresponding to the device identifier, carrier nameand location information enables this data to be shared with contacts.

The device control settings 405 include a checkbox for selecting whetheror not to allow access to various capture tools of the device. Inaddition, the settings include a “panic” activation button 417 fortoggling the panic button feature on or off. For the present scenario,the panic button is active (ON). For example, “Panic Button” behaviormay involve a college student walking home at night and is approached bya group of menacing strangers; also, a “Keep-Alive/Dead-man switch” canbe configured using this panic button (e.g., setting for “If I'm nothome by 11 PM, I am in trouble”). Also, user selection of the ‘AllowAccess’ checkbox enables the multimedia event processor to access and/orcontrol the various capture tools of the device. It is noted that thisincludes determining device and/or user context information. Uponselection of this option, the user is also presented with variousactivation links, i.e., link 415, for enabling selection of specificcapture tools and/or sensors to allow. The list includes device controlover a camera, microphone, video recorder 415 and GPS sensor, with linksfor the activated tools being presented to the display in highlightedform. Conversely, links corresponding to disabled capture tools arepresented to the interface without highlight.

The emergency action settings 407 include checkboxes forselecting/deselecting a response to a high priority event, includingwhether to contact an emergency responder (e.g., police) or personalcontact as established by the user. Under the present scenario, userselection of the checkboxes corresponding to the emergency responder andpersonal contact enables the multimedia event processor to generate anddirect event notifications to these contacts based on high priorityevents. For low priority events, user selection of the personal contact(e.g., the same contact) limits the multimedia event processor 103 torouting event notifications to only the personal contact. This is at theexclusion of a group contact and social network contact corresponding tothe sending of a particular group of contacts or select number ofcontacts of the user's social network.

As indicated by this example, the event notifications are transmitted toexclude user identification data and the device type per settings 401and 403. The personal contact may also be adapted by selecting thepersonal contact link 419. The personal contact link enables the user toaccess an online, stored, or shared database featuring the users variouscontacts. In certain embodiments, the link 419 may also present variousdata entry fields for defining a contact. Next to the link 419 is anindicator, i.e., “(1)”, for conveying the number of contacts currentlydesignated by the user relative to the contact type.

A user configurable countdown timer 409 is also presented for regulatingthe pace of user response to inquiries or messages received from themultimedia event processor 403. By way of example, the user selects anelapse time (e.g., 30 seconds), in which they are required to respond toevent notifications, requests/inquiries from the processor 103, etc.Failure to comply within the designated time period enables themultimedia event processor to assume control of the device and/orvarious capture tools thereof, trigger the calling of a differentcontact as queued, trigger the calling of an emergency responder, etc.The countdown timer 409 may also feature an adjustable frequency settingfor indicating a number of retry attempts.

Once the user has made their selections, they may select a “SAVE” actionbutton 411 to upload and save the settings to the multimedia eventprocessor 103. Alternatively, they can select the “CANCEL” action button413 to cancel the settings.

FIG. 5A is a diagram depicting an interaction between a multimedia eventprocessor and one or more user devices, according to one embodiment. Forthe purpose of illustration, the interaction 500 is presented withrespect to a use case of device users 502 and 504 capturing event datacorresponding to a vehicle 501 involved in an accident. The devices 503and 511 of the users, corresponding to a cell phone and tablet computerrespectively, are equipped with various data capturing tools. It isnoted that the users are within a relative proximity of the samelocation, place, person, object, or premise that constitutes the eventdata.

Under this scenario, user 502 captures image data 509 a of the vehicle501 from their particular vantage point at a time of 1:31:09 pm ON10/1/XX. Likewise, user 504 captures image data 509 b from their vantagepoint as well as sound data 509 c corresponding to the event at a timeof 1:35:39 pm on 10/01/XX. In response to the capture of the data ordirect activation of a panic button by at least one of the user devices503 and 511, the multimedia event processor 517 is caused to aggregatethe event data 509 a-509 c. In addition to the event data 509 a-509 c,the multimedia event processor 517 also captures context informationassociated with the various users 502 and 504 and/or the user devices509 a-509 c.

By way of example, the vehicle 501 accident occurs on 10/01/XX at alocation corresponding to 123 N. Mekail Drive, Chicago, Ill. 60616. Acontext module at each device 503 and 511 is configured to generate aspecific set of geographic coordinates for each of the respectivedevices 503 and 511 within proximity of the accident. For location 507of device 503, the context module determines global positioningcoordinates expressed in a minutes/decimal format, where the longitudeis N30 17.477 and latitude is W97 44.315. The location 515 of device 511corresponds to a longitude N30 17.471 and latitude is W97 44.314.

Once the event data and context information is received, the multimediaevent processor 517 processes the data in various ways. This includesanalyzing the event data 509 a-509 c using various data recognitiontools and analysis techniques. In addition, the context information 507and 515 is analyzed. By way of example, analysis of the image 509 b andaudio file 509 c results in generation of the tags “Accident,” “Crash,”“Car” and “Heavy Traffic.” Generation of the tags is also dependent onthe context information, i.e., the tag “Heavy Traffic” may be based on acorrelation between the time associated with the event and historicallyhigh traffic rates at this time of day. Traffic status may also beprovided by external sources like traffic cameras or traffic servicesavailable via the Internet.

It is noted also that the multimedia event processor may perform its taggeneration analysis based on the timing of aggregation of event data 509a-509 c from respective devices 503 and 511. As such, the tags generatedfor one set of event data 509 b and 509 c from device 511 may also bebased on analysis of the event data provided by the other device 503.Hence, tag generation for differing sets of event data may be performedby the processor 517 based on a determined correlation between the eventdata, a determined similar time of aggregation of the event data (e.g.,the event data 509 a-509 c is received within X seconds of one another),or a combination thereof. As noted before, the multimedia eventprocessor 517 is able to determine a match between the different eventdata 509 a-509 c based, at least in part, on commonality between thetime, location (coordinates) and date (e.g., context information) towithin a predetermined threshold of variance.

FIG. 5B is a diagram of a user interface for enabling user interactionwith the multimedia event processor, according to one embodiment. Forthe purpose of illustration, the figure is described from theperspective of the aforementioned exemplary use case. Under thisscenario, various exemplary response actions pursuant to analysis ofaggregated event data by the processor 517 are shown.

The multimedia event processor 517 provides feedback to the user 504 ofits analysis of the provided event data 509 b and 509 c andcorresponding context information 515. Having processed the informationand that of others (e.g., user 502), a level of severity of HighPriority is determined. Also, processing of the various tags withrespect to one or more event models enables the processor 517 todetermine an event type of “Car Accident.” Still further, havingaggregated the context information for all event data 509 a-509 c, therelative location of the accident is determined to occur at or near anintersection of Mekail and State Street in Chicago, Ill. These results531 are presented to the device 511 of the user 504, along with areference 533 of the image data 509 b upon which the results are based.In addition, the one or more tags generated with respect to theaggregated event data correlated to the event “Car Accident” aredisplayed, i.e., tags 535. It is noted that presentment of the results531, reference 533 and tags 535 serve as a means of validating receiptof the data by the multimedia event processor. Furthermore, rendering ofthis information to the display of the device 511 serves as confirmationof the processor's interpretation of the event as well as a confirmationof the determined response action to be executed based on the event type(e.g., Car Accident=High Severity). While not shown, similar informationis rendered to the display of other devices associated with the taggedevent data, i.e., device 507 for user 502. Processor 517, according tocertain embodiments, may deliver events to a human agent for follow upin the case that the original event recipient may not be in a positionto see a display or interact with it.

A user response option message 535 is also presented via the interface.By way of example, in the case where the user 505 is the driver 505 ofthe vehicle 501, a message may be presented for querying the status ofthe user. A countdown message may also be presented for indicating anamount of time the user 505 has before the multimedia event processor517 executes an emergency response action. The user has the option ofselecting a “Y” or “N” action, button 539 and 541 respectively, forproviding a Yes or No response respectively to the multimedia eventprocessor 517. In the case of a Yes response, the multimedia eventprocessor 517 may delay performance of any response actions for apredetermined amount of time (per the policy settings). The user mayalso be presented with a “DISREGARD” action button 542 for indicatingthat no further action on the part of the multimedia event processor 517is required by the user 505.

In the case where the user provides no response and the countdown periodelapses, the multimedia event processor 517 performs a response action.By way of example, the processor 517 generates and transmits anotification message to the local police department regarding the event.The notification message will include only that data agreed upon by theuser to be shared with the particular contact in question. Hence, apolicy setting of user 505 for restricting the name of the user resultsin sharing of only other pertinent details, such as the resultsinformation 531, the image data 533, etc.

As a result of the response action, the multimedia event processor 517causes the user interface at device 508 to present a message 543 forspecifying the response action undertaken. Under this scenario, themessage indicates that a message is being sent to the police department.The message 543 further indicates the specific police department towhich the message is being routed/dispatched, which in this case isChicago—Ward 2. Routing of the message to this specific emergencyresponder is based, at least in part, on the context information. Theuser may cancel execution of this response action by selecting a“CANCEL” action button 545.

It is contemplated, in other embodiments, that policy settings may beestablished for enabling the retrieval of sensitive data from adesignated data source relative to the determined event type. By way ofexample, user 505 may establish a policy setting for enabling retrievalof auto insurance policy information or medical records from their autoinsurance carrier and medical provider respectively. Under thisscenario, when an event type corresponding to Car Accident isdetermined, this additional data may be retrieved by the multimediaevent processor and shared with the various contacts that are to benotified. Thus, if user 505 suffers from diabetes and is subject to thevehicle accident, an emergency medical team may be notified of this needin advance. Similarly, accident witness information for users 502 and504 can be retrieved, with information required to generate a policereport being automatically extracted and populated in advance for use bythe responding officer. Still further, auto policy information may bedirected/routed to the respective opposing insurance companies of user505 and any other driver involved in the accident accordingly toexpedite claims notification and processing.

With regard to the above described examples of FIGS. 5A and 5B, it isnoted that the exact location of the vehicle 501 may or may not bedetermined depending on the amount of information aggregated oravailability of additional information regarding the event data. By wayof example, the event location may be extrapolated from the contextinformation to a granularity of street intersections (e.g., @Mekail/State Street, Chicago, Ill. 60616). As another example, a finergranularity may be determined based on advanced analysis of the image509 b or sound 509 c data, including determining landmarks, evaluatingsound signals, cross referencing of the data against surveillancecameras, etc. Additionally, the use of technologies including augmentedreality can be used to augment the view of the accident scene in FIG. 5Ausing streaming image recognition to, for example, identify preciselocation of relevant information in the environment (e.g., location ofcar or cars involved in an accident) and overlays of information on thescene (e.g., year, make, model, owner, insurance company etc. of avehicle involved in an accident) in real-time.

The exemplary techniques and systems presented herein enable one or morecontacts to be notified on the basis of aggregated event data. Oneadvantage of the exemplary system as presented herein includes enablingthe easy capture, classification, prioritization and dispatching of avariety of community events requiring significantly reduced manualeffort. By way of example, the multimedia event processor may exploitthe use of various web based processing techniques, including Semanticweb technology, Resource Description Framework (RDF) protocols, WebOntology Language (OWL), and the like.

Another advantage includes enabling the real-time transmission of eventdata and contact information to emergency responders while furthersupporting continuous updating and refining of event details andactions. By way of example, a knowledge base may be maintained forenabling the ongoing and subsequent analysis of events to supportresponse action improvement, event classification improvement,situational/event model development and the like. This refinementprocess may be rapidly engaged per the continuous aggregation of eventdata from a plurality of different device users; in effect increasingthe pace of accumulation of data points maintained in the knowledgebase.As yet another advantage, the user may establish various settings foraffecting the response action to be automated by the system, includinginformation privacy settings, message routing settings, workflowsettings, device control permissions and other policies.

The processes described herein for enabling event notifications to bedirected to one or more contacts based on the acquiring of common eventdata by one or more wireless devices may be implemented via software,hardware (e.g., general processor, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip,an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware or a combination thereof. Suchexemplary hardware for performing the described functions is detailedbelow.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a computer system that can be used to implementvarious exemplary embodiments. The computer system 600 includes a bus601 or other communication mechanism for communicating information andone or more processors (of which one is shown) 603 coupled to the bus601 for processing information. The computer system 600 also includesmain memory 605, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, coupled to the bus 601 for storing information andinstructions to be executed by the processor 603. Main memory 605 canalso be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by the processor 603. Thecomputer system 600 may further include a read only memory (ROM) 607 orother static storage device coupled to the bus 601 for storing staticinformation and instructions for the processor 603. A storage device609, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is coupled to the bus 601for persistently storing information and instructions.

The computer system 600 may be coupled via the bus 601 to a display 611,such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display, active matrixdisplay, or plasma display, for displaying information to a computeruser. An input device 613, such as a touch screen, microphone, orkeyboard including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupled to the bus601 for communicating information and command selections to theprocessor 603. Another type of user input device is a cursor control615, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, forcommunicating direction information and command selections to theprocessor 603 and for adjusting cursor movement on the display 611.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the processes describedherein are performed by the computer system 600, in response to theprocessor 603 executing an arrangement of instructions contained in mainmemory 605. Such instructions can be read into main memory 605 fromanother computer-readable medium, such as the storage device 609.Execution of the arrangement of instructions contained in main memory605 causes the processor 603 to perform the process steps describedherein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement mayalso be employed to execute the instructions contained in main memory605. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used inplace of or in combination with software instructions to implement theembodiment of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are notlimited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The computer system 600 also includes a communication interface 617coupled to bus 601. The communication interface 617 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 619 connected to a localnetwork 621. For example, the communication interface 617 may be adigital subscriber line (DSL) card or modem, an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card, a cable modem, a telephone modem, or anyother communication interface to provide a data communication connectionto a corresponding type of communication line. As another example,communication interface 617 may be a local area network (LAN) card (e.g.for Ethernet™ or an Asynchronous Transfer Model (ATM) network) toprovide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wirelesslinks can also be implemented. In any such implementation, communicationinterface 617 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic, or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation. Further, the communication interface 617 can includeperipheral interface devices, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB)interface, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card InternationalAssociation) interface, etc. Although a single communication interface617 is depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5B, multiple communication interfaces canalso be employed.

The network link 619 typically provides data communication through oneor more networks to other data devices. For example, the network link619 may provide a connection through local network 621 to a hostcomputer 623, which has connectivity to a network 625 (e.g. a wide areanetwork (WAN) or the global packet data communication network nowcommonly referred to as the “Internet”) or to data equipment operated bya service provider. The local network 621 and the network 625 both useelectrical, electromagnetic, or optical signals to convey informationand instructions. The signals through the various networks and thesignals on the network link 619 and through the communication interface617, which communicate digital data with the computer system 600, areexemplary forms of carrier waves bearing the information andinstructions.

The computer system 600 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), the network link 619, and thecommunication interface 617. In the Internet example, a server (notshown) might transmit requested code belonging to an application programfor implementing an embodiment of the invention through the network 625,the local network 621 and the communication interface 617. The processor603 may execute the transmitted code while being received and/or storethe code in the storage device 609, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution. In this manner, the computer system 600 may obtainapplication code in the form of a carrier wave.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to the processor 603 forexecution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limitedto computer-readable storage medium ((or non-transitory)—i.e.,non-volatile media and volatile media), and transmission media.Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, suchas the storage device 609. Volatile media include dynamic memory, suchas main memory 605. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copperwire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise the bus 601.Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic, optical, orelectromagnetic waves, such as those generated during radio frequency(RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM,CDRW, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, opticalmark sheets, any other physical medium with patterns of holes or otheroptically recognizable indicia, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other mediumfrom which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in providinginstructions to a processor for execution. For example, the instructionsfor carrying out at least part of the embodiments of the invention mayinitially be borne on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. In such ascenario, the remote computer loads the instructions into main memoryand sends the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modemof a local computer system receives the data on the telephone line anduses an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signaland transmit the infrared signal to a portable computing device, such asa personal digital assistant (PDA) or a laptop. An infrared detector onthe portable computing device receives the information and instructionsborne by the infrared signal and places the data on a bus. The busconveys the data to main memory, from which a processor retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by main memory canoptionally be stored on storage device either before or after executionby processor.

FIG. 7 illustrates a chip set or chip 700 upon which an embodiment ofthe invention may be implemented. Chip set 700 is programmed to enableevent notifications to be directed to one or more contacts based on theacquiring of common event data by one or more wireless devices asdescribed herein and includes, for instance, the processor and memorycomponents described with respect to FIG. 6 incorporated in one or morephysical packages (e.g., chips). By way of example, a physical packageincludes an arrangement of one or more materials, components, and/orwires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard) to provide one ormore characteristics such as physical strength, conservation of size,and/or limitation of electrical interaction. It is contemplated that incertain embodiments the chip set 700 can be implemented in a singlechip. It is further contemplated that in certain embodiments the chipset or chip 700 can be implemented as a single “system on a chip.” It isfurther contemplated that in certain embodiments a separate ASIC wouldnot be used, for example, and that all relevant functions as disclosedherein would be performed by a processor or processors. Chip set or chip700, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing one ormore steps of enabling event notifications to be directed to one or morecontacts based on the acquiring of common event data by one or morewireless devices.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 700 includes a communicationmechanism such as a bus 701 for passing information among the componentsof the chip set 700. A processor 703 has connectivity to the bus 701 toexecute instructions and process information stored in, for example, amemory 705. The processor 703 may include one or more processing coreswith each core configured to perform independently. A multi-coreprocessor enables multiprocessing within a single physical package.Examples of a multi-core processor include two, four, eight, or greaternumbers of processing cores. Alternatively or in addition, the processor703 may include one or more microprocessors configured in tandem via thebus 701 to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, andmultithreading. The processor 703 may also be accompanied with one ormore specialized components to perform certain processing functions andtasks such as one or more digital signal processors (DSP) 707, or one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) 709. A DSP 707typically is configured to process real-world signals (e.g., sound) inreal time independently of the processor 703. Similarly, an ASIC 709 canbe configured to performed specialized functions not easily performed bya more general purpose processor. Other specialized components to aid inperforming the inventive functions described herein may include one ormore field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) (not shown), one or morecontrollers (not shown), or one or more other special-purpose computerchips.

In one embodiment, the chip set or chip 700 includes merely one or moreprocessors and some software and/or firmware supporting and/or relatingto and/or for the one or more processors.

The processor 703 and accompanying components have connectivity to thememory 705 via the bus 701. The memory 705 includes both dynamic memory(e.g., RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and staticmemory (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) for storing executable instructionsthat when executed perform the inventive steps described herein toenable event notifications to be directed to one or more contacts basedon the acquiring of common event data by one or more wireless devices.The memory 705 also stores the data associated with or generated by theexecution of the inventive steps.

While certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to suchembodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presented claims andvarious obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving event datacorresponding to an event from a mobile device, wherein the event dataincludes audio data, and one or more of image data and video data;retrieving from the mobile device context data associated with themobile device; analyzing the context data, the audio data and the one ormore of the image data and video data for determining a tag fordescribing the event data, wherein analyzing the audio data comprisescomparing the audio data against known sound data, and wherein analyzingthe one or more of the image data and the video data comprises imagerecognition processing; associating the event data with the tag;classifying the event data as corresponding to a level of severity basedon the audio data, and on one or more of the tag and a volume of allevent data for a given geographic region for a given time range;anonymizing the event data with respect to the mobile device and anyassociated user account; storing the anonymized event data among aplurality of anonymized event data; and determining a target destinationfor transmission of a notification message, the event data, or acombination thereof based on the classification, the context data, or acombination thereof.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein thecontext data includes location information of the mobile device, statusinformation of the mobile device, timing information corresponding tothe event data, user information corresponding to a user of the mobiledevice, activity information corresponding to a user of the mobiledevice, or a combination thereof.
 3. A method according to claim 1,wherein the classifying further comprises: receiving other event datacorresponding to the event from another mobile device; correlating theevent data and the other event data based on the tag; and aggregatingthe event data with the other event data to generate a composite modelof the event based on the correlation.
 4. A method according to claim 1,wherein the level of severity corresponds to a plurality of prioritiesfor responding to the event.
 5. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: transmitting a notification message to an emergency servicesprovider, a private emergency contact, a local governmentrepresentative, a public contact, one or more members of a socialnetwork, a community, or a combination thereof.
 6. A method according toclaim 1, further comprising: receiving a response to the notificationmessage from the target destination; correlating the response with theevent data; and determining to update the context data, a classificationof the event data, or a combination thereof based on the response.
 7. Amethod according to claim 1, further comprising: generating a triggeringmessage based on the classification of the event data.
 8. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the event data further includes textualdata, numeric data, or a combination thereof.
 9. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the target destination corresponds to a phone number,e-mail address, universal resource identifier (URI), electroniccommunication handle, or a combination thereof of an emergency servicesprovider, a private emergency contact, a local governmentrepresentative, a public contact, a member of a social network, a memberof a community, or a combination thereof.
 10. An apparatus comprising:at least one processor; and at least one memory including computerprogram code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and thecomputer program code configured to, with the at least one processor,cause the apparatus to perform at least the following, receive eventdata corresponding to an event from a mobile device, wherein the eventdata includes audio data, and one or more of image data and video data;retrieve from the mobile device context data associated with the mobiledevice; analyze the context data, the audio data and the one or more ofthe image data and video data for determining a tag for describing theevent data, wherein analyze the audio data comprises compare the audiodata against known sound data, and wherein analyze the one or more ofthe image data and the video data comprises image recognitionprocessing; associate the event data with the tag; classify the eventdata as corresponding to a level of severity based on the audio data,and on one or more of the tag and a volume of all event data for a givengeographic region for a given time range; anonymize the event data withrespect to the mobile device and any associated user account; store theanonymized event data among a plurality of anonymized event data; anddetermine a target destination for transmission of a notificationmessage, the event data, or a combination thereof based on theclassification, the context data, or a combination thereof.
 11. Anapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the context data includeslocation information of the mobile device, status information of themobile device, timing information corresponding to the event data, userinformation corresponding to a user of the mobile device, activityinformation corresponding to a user of the mobile device, or acombination thereof.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein theapparatus is further caused to: receive other event data correspondingto the event from another mobile device; correlate the event data andthe other event data based on the tag; aggregate the event data with theother event data to generate a composite model of the event based on thecorrelation.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the levelof severity corresponds to a plurality of priorities for responding tothe event.
 14. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatusis further caused to: transmit a notification message to an emergencyservices provider, a private emergency contact, a local governmentrepresentative, a public contact, one or more members of a socialnetwork, a community, or a combination thereof.
 15. An apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:receive a response to the notification message from the targetdestination; correlate the response with the event data; and determineto update the context data, a classification of the event data, or acombination thereof based on the response.
 16. An apparatus according toclaim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: generate atriggering message based on the classification of the event data.
 17. Anapparatus according to claim 10, wherein the event data further includesnumeric data, textual data, or a combination thereof.
 18. An apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the target destination corresponds to aphone number, e-mail address, universal resource identifier (URI),electronic communication handle, or a combination thereof of anemergency services provider, a private emergency contact, a localgovernment representative, a public contact, a member of a socialnetwork, a member of a community, or a combination thereof.